Dallas Theater Center News

Producers Daryl Roth and Eva Price announced today that Emmy Award-winning actor Tom Skerritt will make his Broadway debut in A Time to Kill, Tony Award-winning playwright Rupert Holmes' stage adaptation of John Grisham's best-selling novel. Skerritt will portray Lucien Wilbanks, the mentor to protagonist Jake Brigance (played by Sebastian Arcelus), in this thrilling, iconic courtroom drama. Skerritt joins the previously announced Sebastian Arcelus, Chike Johnson, Patrick Page, Tony Award winner Tonya Pinkins, Fred Dalton Thompson, John Douglas Thompson, and Ashley Williams plus Dashiell Eaves, J.R. Horne, John Procaccino, Tijuana Ricks, and Lee Sellars. Casting is now complete.

Called "the greatest singer in the world" by Frank Sinatra, the always charming, classy and debonair Tony Bennett crooned his way into the heart of America. In this sexy musical revue, three superb male singers perform an anthology of Bennett's best work - from "Rags to Riches" to "Put On a Happy Face" to the title track and many more - celebrating more than six decades of remarkable music in this swingin' walk down memory lane. David Grapes and Todd Olson are co-creators for the production; Todd Olson will also be directing The Rep's production. Original piano and vocal arrangements for I Left My Heart are by Vince di Mura. The cast features singers Eric Jon Mahlum, Andrew McMath and Rob Tucker, all making their Rep debuts, and Richard Carsey, well-known to Milwaukee audiences from his years with Skylight Music Theatre, will accompany them on piano. Carsey is also the Music Director for the production. I Left My Heart: A Salute to the Music of Tony Bennett runs in the Stackner Cabaret from August 23 - October 20 and opens Sunday, August 25.

The Jewish Community Center of San Francisco (JCCSF) joins forces with First Voice to present the World Premiere of MU, a magical fable created by National Endowment for the Arts Fellow playwright/artistic director Brenda Wong Aoki, Emmy-winning composer Mark Izu, and Tony-nominated choreographer Kimi Okada, and featuring fantasy costumes by Beaver Bauer. Based on a Japanese legend, MU is a beguiling tale both otherworldly and deeply personal. Three performances take place in Kanbar Hall on Friday Sept. 27 and Saturday, Sept. 28 at 8 pm, with a 2 pm matinee on Sunday, Sept. 29, to be followed by a national tour.

The Baltimore Playwrights Festival continues its Thirty-Second Season with tonight's August 9th opening of Countdown to the Happy Day, by Thomas W. Stephens, produced by Heralds of Hope Theater in Residence at Sojourner-Douglass College (www.heraldsofhopetheater.com), 410-997-5779.

Second Thought Theatre presents the final production in its ninth season, In a Forest, Dark and Deep by Neil LaBute. Director Regan Adair returns to STT for the first time since 2011's critical hit, Red Light Winter. In a Forest, Dark and Deep will run in previews today, August 9 - 10, 2013. Opening and Press Night is Thursday, August 15 at 7:30pm. The show closes August 31.

YOUNG PROFESSIONALS FOR WATERTOWER THEATRE is a dynamic new group of early to mid-career professionals who take an active role in enhancing Dallas' cultural scene while furthering their knowledge of, and involvement with, the performing arts and the theatre. The group is run by a Steering Committee of its membership. YP4WTT President is Collin Duwe (Dallas Theater Center) and Melisa Stinson Ellis (Ellis Art Gallery).

Back by popular demand, Todd Waite reprises his role as Houston's favorite holiday elf. A compact, one-character comedy, The Santaland Diaries is a hilarious cult classic featuring comic encounters during the height of the holiday crunch. NPR humorist and best-selling author of Me Talk Pretty One Day and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, David Sedaris has become one of America's pre-eminent humor writers. Recommended for mature audiences due to language and subject matter.

Amphibian Stage Productions and Diana Sheehan today announced a party celebrating the release of Ms. Sheehan's first CD,Nobody's Hart: Diana Sheehan Sings the Lyrics of Lorenz Hart, which will take place on Saturday, August 24 at Rebecca Low Sculptural Metal Gallery and Studio in Fort Worth.

YOUNG PROFESSIONALS FOR WATERTOWER THEATRE is a dynamic new group of early to mid-career professionals who take an active role in enhancing Dallas' cultural scene while furthering their knowledge of, and involvement with, the performing arts and the theatre. The group is run by a Steering Committee of its membership. YP4WTT President is Collin Duwe (Dallas Theater Center) and Melisa Stinson Ellis (Ellis Art Gallery).

Giant's Kate Baldwin, Brian D'Arcy James and Michael John LaChiusa attended a CD signing and performance at Barnes & Noble (86th & Lexington Ave) yesterday, August 1. BroadwayWorld was there for the special event and you can check out photos below!

Berkeley Repertory Theatre's Artistic Director Tony Taccone today announces the appointment of Liesl Tommy as the nonprofit's associate director. Tommy, who most recently directed Berkeley Rep's critically acclaimed production of Ruined, joins the Theatre's artistic team effective September 1. Tommy will fulfill various artistic duties including directing for Berkeley Rep's main stage; developing new work through The Ground Floor, the Center for the Creation and Development of New Work; and supporting ongoing artistic pursuits in the spirit of cultivating and producing innovative and adventurous work for the Theatre.

Scott Boswell, chairman of the Kansas City Repertory Theatre's Board of Directors, and Leo E. Morton, chancellor of the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), are pleased to announce that Angela Lee Gieras has been appointed executive director of Kansas City Rep. The newly created position will provide additional leadership as the Rep prepares for its 50th anniversary in 2014 and will support the Rep as it continues to strengthen its position as a leading regional theatre. Gieras will begin her new position today, August 1.

Giant's Kate Baldwin, Brian D'Arcy James and Michael John LaChiusa will be present for a CD signing and performance at Barnes & Noble at 86th & Lexington Ave in NYC tonight, August 1, 2013 at 7 PM.

Partial Comfort Productions (Drama Desk nominee A Bright New Boise) kicks off it's 11th season with the World Premiere of AND MILES TO GO by Chad Beckim. Directed by Hal Brooks (Pulitzer Prize finalist Thom Pain), previews begin October 2 at The Wild Project. Opening night is slated for Thursday, October 10.

Sundance Institute and the LUMA Foundation previously announced that the two organizations would collaborate to host The Sundance Institute | LUMA Foundation Theatre Directors Retreat at Domaine de l'Armelliere, today, July 29 - August 9, in Arles, France. Under the supervision of Philip Himberg, Artistic Director of The Sundance Institute Theatre Program, Producing Director Christopher Hibma and Program Associate Anne Kauffman, the Retreat will be the first theatre director-centered residency at the Institute.

Second Thought Theatre announced today cast and creative team of the final production in its ninth season, In a Forest, Dark and Deep by Neil LaBute. Director Regan Adair returns to STT for the first time since 2011's critical hit, Red Light Winter. In a Forest, Dark and Deep will run in previews August 9 - 10, 2013. Opening and Press Night is Thursday, August 15 at 7:30pm. The show closes August 31.

Summertime is an important season for Broadway, with tourists flocking from all over to check out the stars they watched on the Tony Awards, be the first to visit the newest additions to the Broadway line-up, and even stop back at an old favorite. Need help keeping track of Broadway's newest and most buzzed-about performers? BroadwayWorld brings you a roundup of the hottest stars of the summer below!